Press Releases

Summer Streets continues for three Saturdays, joined by pedestrian events citywide

NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan today invited New Yorkers and visitors to take to the streets once again as Summer Streets returns, bringing 7 miles of car-free City streets for the next three Saturdays, Aug. 7, 14 and 21. From 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., vehicle traffic will be replaced by New Yorkers biking, swimming, rollerblading and strolling from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park along Lafayette Street, 4th Avenue, Park Avenue and 72nd Street. A list of activities planned along the route’s four rest stops is available at nyc.gov/summerstreets.

The Summer Streets events this year are being joined by dozens of other smaller-scale street events in 17 communities citywide known as Weekend Walks. These events, which began earlier this summer and will continue through September, have been sponsored by local business improvement districts and community groups throughout the city. For more information, visit nyc.gov/weekendwalks.

As part of this year's signature event in Manhattan, development firm Macro-Sea will set up three swimming pools created from clean, stylized Dumpster-style containers. Located near the Grand Central Viaduct, these pools will feature decking and a pool lounge area, giving New Yorkers a chance to cool off in a pool or simply enjoy the poolside. The New York International Fringe Festival NYC, the largest multi-arts festival in North America, will offer samples of some of the more than 200 plays that will be performed during the festival from Aug. 13–29. A "fun run" hosted by New York Road Runners will kick off Summer Streets with a 5-mile fun run starting Saturday, Aug. 7, at 7 a.m. in Foley Square (register at www.nyrr.org), and there will be Learn to Ride classes by Bike New York in Foley Square and a Local Bike Makers Showcase at the SoHo rest stop, located at Lafayette Street between Kenmare and Spring streets.

This year's Summer Streets events are made possible in part through the generous support of sponsors, including Whole Foods Market, Reebok, Aerosoles, Crunch, Stonyfield Farm, Odwalla, Clif Bar, Cabot and Bicycle Habitat.